When economic times are tough, morals often go out the window. Think of the repeal of blue laws, for instance. Well, with the current cash crises, it’s now a little blue house that’s going to the dark side, so to speak. Martha’s Café on Elliewood Avenue is getting ready to join in the debauchery of the Corner late-night scene, and owner Mike Payne has knocked through a wall and added a beautiful wood built-in bar to accommodate the coming heathens.
 No longer setting the bar soft: Starting in mid-March Martha’s Café owner Mike Payne (left) will be offering a full bar, in addition to later hours. |
“We wanted to stay out of the chemical dependency business as long as possible,” Payne says to the question of why Martha’s has offered a much more subdued atmosphere (beer and wine only) in comparison to surrounding Corner bar haunts, the Biltmore, Coupe DeVille’s and Buddhist Biker Bar—as well as much earlier hours. Currently, lunch is served daily and dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday until 9pm. Starting around mid-March, however, Martha’s plans to offer a full bar of drink options, in addition to later hours.
“We used to be a house with two rooms where you could get some food. But now we’re a restaurant,” Payne says of the renovations to the cozy home-turned-dining-den.
Payne has owned Martha’s along with his wife, artist Carrie Payne, for the past 10 years. Her large and lively oil canvases decorate the intimate space, where the duo shares chef shifts—they have 36 years of food service experience between them. Payne says he’s been considering offering a late-night menu and full bar for a while now, but that he really felt the pressure to pad the pocketbook after Martha’s lost its longtime catering contract with the folks over at Monticello (Karen Laetare of Brix Market Place and Brix Terrace Café recently won the bid to operate the café at the new visitor’s center). “We do need to feed our family!” he says.
As for what kind of late-night vibe they are going for—frat boys and football viewing? Law students and husband hunting?—Payne is pretty nonchalant. “We’re kinda new to the whole bar scene. We don’t have a single dead animal or TV on the wall.”
What Martha’s does have, though, is arguably the nicest patio on the Corner—just perfect for sipping a few cocktails and people watching (when there isn’t a huge-ass Bud Light truck loitering long past the acceptable parking time limit and obstructing the view on Elliewood, that is.) Plus, Martha’s is investing in a removable platform for said patio in anticipation of live music. “And we’ll probably get a TV—a small one, “says Payne.
And though they may be compromising their morals, they are not compromising their food taste. For the late-night menu, Martha’s will offer some of its casual but classy versions of quesadillas, pizzas and pastas, but “we are going to try and stay away from fried foods—we’d rather people get their calories from the cocktails,” says Payne. Restaurantarama will drink to that!
Pioneering plates
Pantops is so last year. It seems the new, new, new frontier for exciting restaurant happenings is Nellysford. A few weeks ago, we told you about the “Fried Gizzards and Livers” place on Route 151, and now it’s the opening of Dogwood, which, incidentally, also serves breaded chicken livers, meaning Nellysford henceforth will be known as the fried guts capital of Central Virginia. But Dogwood, which describes its menu as “Steaks, Seafood and Country Cuisine,” also offers more traditional down-home fare like country fried steak, fried flounder and clams, and sides such as fried okra, baked beans and turnip greens. The place opened February 4 in the 100-year-old Rockfish School building on Rockfish Valley Highway and comes from Dennis Hunt, who’s been establishing a local following at his 4-year-old Dogwood Café in Amherst. Dogwood currently offers lunch, but soon will open for dinner and breakfast.
Ciao for now
Intimate Italian eatery Ristorante Al Dente, located upstairs of Escafé, is leaving its Downtown Mall location. The owners aren’t sure yet where they’ll land, but they’ll close this shop on February 28. Stay tuned for more on this story!
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